The prevalence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is rising in Ireland due to the increase in the number of premature babies being born and surviving, with corresponding resource implications that must be addressed, a leading specialist in the area told the 2019 ICO Annual Conference in Galway. Ms Claire Hartnett, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, Children’s Health…

The new dedicated cataract theatres in Nenagh and Dublin are having a significant impact on cataract waiting lists and are providing a more comfortable experience for elderly patients, the 2019 ICO Conference heard. Both units have reduced their waiting lists to below six months, and are now looking to take patients from other hospitals shortly.…

The burgeoning subspeciality of emergency ophthalmology was the focus of a dedicated session during the 2019 ICO Annual Conference. As trauma, inflammation or tumours can seriously compromise the function of the eye and cause severe impairment of vision, most have to be treated as a matter of urgency and hence there are no waiting lists…

Unhealthy diets and poor lifestyle behaviours have led to a significant rise in preventable, potentially blinding diseases, with a lack of awareness among the public about the risks, a special session on nutrition and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) at the 2019 ICO Annual Conference heard. Dr Arjuna Ratnayaka, Lecturer in Vision Sciences, University of Southampton,…

As ever, the latest high-quality Irish ophthalmological research featured heavily during the 2019 ICO Annual Conference, with outgoing President Dr Alison Blake praising the breadth and innovation of the submitted projects. During the conference, recipient of the ICO/Novartis Eye Research Bursary 2018-2019 Dr Emily Greenan presented an update on her study ‘Multiomic Profiling of Ocular…

The viability of the national diabetic retinopathy screening programme, Diabetic RetinaScreen, is now in danger due to the implications of the recent Cross judgement, the programme’s Clinical Director warned during the 2019 Irish College of Ophthalmologists (ICO) Annual Conference in Galway. The ruling by Mr Justice Kevin Cross in the Ruth Morrissey court case regarding…